Hydrocarbons can be produced through a wellbore traversing a subterranean formation. The wellbore may be relatively complex. For example, the wellbore can include branch wellbores, such as lateral wellbores and/or sidetrack wellbores. Multilateral wellbores include one or more lateral wellbores extending from a parent (or main) wellbore. A sidetrack wellbore is a wellbore that is diverted from a first general direction to a second general direction. A sidetrack wellbore can include a main wellbore in a first direction and a secondary wellbore diverted from the main wellbore and in a second general direction.
A parent wellbore can include a window to allow branch wellbores to be formed. A window can be formed by positioning a casing joint and a whipstock in a casing string at a desired location in the main wellbore. The whipstock can deflect one or more mills (or other cutting tools) laterally (or in one or more various orientations) relative to the casing string. The deflected mills penetrate part of the casing joint to form the window in the casing string through which drill bits can form the lateral wellbore.
The whipstock can include a retrieval mechanism that permits the whipstock to be removed from the parent wellbore after the branch wellbore is formed. After the whipstock is removed, a completion deflector is run to a desired location with respect to the window. The completion deflector can include an opening that can receive part of a junction, such as a seal stinger of a mainbore leg, and can include a deflective surface that can deflect the other part of the junction toward the window and branch wellbore. The junction or other components can be used to complete the branch wellbore. Retrieving the whipstock and running the completion deflector increases the number of trips downhole and, thus, increases the inefficiency and expense of operating a production well.
Some assemblies have been used to eliminate the need for two trips to run a whipstock and a completion deflector. For example, an assembly can include a whipstock that is detachably connected to a completion deflector. The assembly is run downhole for installation. The whipstock can divert a milling bit for forming a window through which a lateral wellbore can be created. The whipstock is retrieved, after the lateral wellbore is created, by detaching it from the completion deflector. After the whipstock is retrieved, components can be run into the wellbore and can be diverted by the completion deflector for completing the lateral wellbore. The assembly, however, requires a trip to retrieve the whipstock before a lateral wellbore can be completed. The trip can increase expense and decrease efficiency of well completion.
Accordingly, assemblies are desirable that can divert a cutting tool and a completion component such as a junction, but do not require a trip to retrieve a whipstock prior to deflecting a completion component.